If you have ever grown tomatoes—like, actual in-ground, vine-riddled tomatoes—you probably have yanked one off the plant and thought to yourself: What in the world happened here? Like, it was smashed, shaped, or maybe went through something it doesn’t want to discuss. Deep grooves, puckered scars, weird bulbous knobs… it isn’t very attractive. That, my friend, is catfacing. I have no idea why it is named that. Does not look like a cat. But here we are.
So… What Exactly Is Catfacing?
Catfacing isn’t a tomato disease or rot, it is more like a developmental hiccup. Essentially, the fruit is growing in on itself, or parts of the fruit stop expanding while others continue, and voila—a distorted, sometimes hollowed-out, sometimes scary-looking tomato. Could be a couple of surface wrinkles, or it may look like it got in a bar fight.
Can You Prevent It? Eh, Sort Of.
You can give it a go. There is not a single-button fix, but if you are a bit more deliberate about how you grow stuff, it helps.
Choose Better Varieties
Some tomatoes are just drama queens. Some manage their situations better. When looking to purchase seeds or starter plants, try to buy “catface-resistant” or “smooth-skinned” varieties. They are out there. You just have to actually read the label, instead of grabbing the first heirloom you see because the picture looks country.
Don’t Plant Too Early
Tomatoes aren’t fans of the cold snap life. If you get excited and put them in the soil before conditions are right, especially if frost is not quite ready to wave goodbye, you have probably doomed them. The early cold interferes with flower development and bam: catfacing.
Prepare Your Soil
When you are ready to put the plants in the ground, prepare the soil like a master gardener. Don’t take a shortcut. It needs drainage, compost, and good structure—not the garbage compacted, nutrient-deficient stuff! If you want to get serious about it and do it right, have your soil tested. I know, no homework! But it may pay off.
Watering Like a Human
Water consistency is key. The tomatoes do not want to go from bone dry to swamp. Water them all the time (ish). Same time, if you can manage it. Don’t let it swing from drought to flood. It’s a veggie, it doesn’t want the drama. And don’t overwater. Too much water comes with its own problems—cracked fruit and stems that droop and rot.
Mulch (You Won’t Regret It)
Put a layer (Styrofoam doesn’t count) of straw or wood chips around to help stabilize the moisture, temperature, even weeds. Just don’t let the stem disappear in the mulch like you are tucking it in for the season’s winter hibernation. Leave a little breathing room.
Don’t Over-Fertilize
Especially nitrogen. Too much nitrogen and the plant is happy, grows a ton of leaves, and forgets how to grow fruit properly. Which can lead, you guessed it—catfaced fruit! Back off. It’s a tomato, not a teenager who drank an energy drink.
Should You Throw Those Out?
Nope. Honestly, if the weirdness is only skin deep, just cut it off and move on. The inside is still a tomato. Same flavor, same nutrients. No reason to throw it out if the rest of the tomato isn’t gross or really difficult to deal with. Otherwise, fine, compost it or toss it to the chooks or whatever.
Okay But Why Did This Happen to Me?
There are numerous factors. Most of them are out of your control—unless you are trying to grow in the middle of a wacky weather roller coaster.
- Temperature Excursions – Cold snaps at flowering make a mess with the developing fruit. Even a couple of nights in the 40s can derail the plant.
- Hormones Get Wacky – Not kidding. Plants also have hormones, and stress can throw those off, too. Heat waves, poor pollination, transplant stress, and other environmental stressors can cause hormone issues, which might show up as catfacing.
- Water Blues – Irregular watering patterns will expand and contract cells in odd ways (again), leading to fruit that has no idea what shape it wants to form.
- Genetics – Some tomatoes have a genetic predisposition toward catfacing, especially larger beefsteak types. It’s not you, it’s them…
Eat Them Anyway
Unless the tomato has completely caved in, or is half hollow, it is still edible. Simply cut off the weird parts and keep going. It will taste exactly the same. In fact, some of the best-tasting tomatoes I have eaten were so weird looking they looked like they barely survived a trip down the stairs…
So yes—catfacing is frustrating. It’s kind of ugly. It’s a bit confusing. But, it’s not a reason to give up! Do a bit of preparation, water consistently, avoid overfeeding the plants, and maybe choose varieties that are not genetically cursed. And even if you still get catfacing? You still have tomatoes! Weird, lumpy, delicious tomatoes!
